It was 1979. Thousands of students from the Chabad-Lubavitch school network, Oholei Yosef Yitzchak, gathered for a special event marking Yud Shevat, the anniversary of the Rebbe’s leadership.
Among them was a twelve-year-old boy from Kiryat Gat: Zushe Abelsky, representing his local Chabad school. For him, this was far more than just another school event. It was a unique privilege to accompany his father, Rabbi Zalman Abelsky a”h, founder of the Chabad school in Kiryat Gat, who would go on to educate thousands of students over the years.
The gathering was chaired by Rabbi Naftali Roth. One of the central addresses was delivered by Rabbi Tzvi Eisenbach a”h, father of my dear friend Rabbi Shimon Eisenbach, the Rebbe’s shliach and rabbi of the Shachmon neighborhood in Eilat. Rabbi Eisenbach spoke about the significance of Yud Shevat, the weekly Torah portion, and the Rebbe’s thirty years of leadership.
During the event, an unexpected moment occurred. President Yitzhak Navon turned to Rabbi Aryeh Leib Kaplan, founder and director of the Chabad community in Tzfat, and personally invited him to address the audience. Rabbi Kaplan accepted the request and spoke before the President, the educators, and the students.
President Navon then delivered his own remarks. He warmly praised Chabad’s worldwide activities, the Rebbe’s emissaries, and their exceptional Ahavat Yisrael. He noted that Chabad was not merely a movement of ideals but a movement of action, reaching every Jew wherever they might be.
Then came the most memorable and controversial part of the gathering.
President Navon, Israel’s first Sephardic president, spoke about the importance of strengthening unity between Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews. He suggested that schools should place greater emphasis on teaching the heritage of Sephardic Torah giants such as Rabbi Yitzchak Alfasi (the Rif), Rabbi Chaim ben Attar (the Ohr HaChaim), Rabbi Shalom Shabazi, and others.
According to accounts of the meeting, President Navon also proposed the idea of greater integration between Sephardic and Ashkenazic traditions within educational frameworks, believing that such exposure could foster national unity and mutual understanding.
One of my most vivid memories from that day took place as each student was introduced to the President. Every child approached him, stated his name, and identified the school he represented.
When my turn arrived, I told him that my name was Zushe and that I represented the Chabad school in Kiryat Gat.
The President smiled and asked, “Do you also have a Hebrew name?”
“Yes,” I replied, “Yeshayah.”
President Navon smiled with visible satisfaction. It was a brief exchange, but one that remained etched in my memory for decades.
As was customary, a detailed report of the gathering was immediately sent to the Rebbe in New York. Within hours, the subject became the focus of a remarkable discussion during the Rebbe’s farbrengen.
The Rebbe strongly opposed the idea of blurring or merging established traditions and prayer rites. He explained that every Jewish community—whether Sephardic or Ashkenazic—possesses its own sacred heritage, customs, and liturgical traditions, all rooted in Torah and Kabbalah and preserved by generations of great scholars.
At the same time, the Rebbe emphasized that genuine Jewish unity does not come from erasing differences. On the contrary, true unity emerges when each community proudly preserves its own traditions while respecting and appreciating the traditions of others.
The Rebbe further pointed to the deep respect that Chassidim have always shown toward Sephardic Torah sages, particularly the Rambam and the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh. He referenced the well-known Chassidic tradition regarding the special connection between the Baal Shem Tov and the Ohr HaChaim, demonstrating that appreciation for Sephardic Torah greatness had long been an integral part of Chassidic life.
For many years, only fragments of President Navon’s speech were known. My friend Rabbi Shimon Eisenbach wrote about the event and noted that only part of the President’s remarks had survived.
Recently, however, a remarkable discovery was made. Rabbi Chaim Ozer Butman located a complete recording of the gathering in the Israel State Archives. Lasting more than eighty minutes, the recording preserves the entire event—the speeches, the Chabad melodies sung before the President, the conversations, and the unique atmosphere of that historic day.
When I read Rabbi Eisenbach’s article, the entire story suddenly came back to life for me. His description of the meeting, his father’s central role, and the newly discovered recording awakened memories that had been resting quietly for nearly half a century.
Inspired by the article, I began searching through my personal archives. To my great excitement, I found a true treasure: a photograph of myself from that very meeting with President Navon.
Suddenly, the memories became tangible once again. The twelve-year-old boy from Kiryat Gat standing before the President of Israel came back into focus after almost fifty years.
That photograph is more than a personal keepsake. It is a snapshot of a unique moment in Chabad’s history in Israel—a gathering of students, educators, and Chabad leaders that sparked a significant discussion about Jewish unity and ultimately elicited a profound response from the Rebbe himself.
Nearly fifty years later, the message remains as relevant as ever: authentic unity is not achieved by erasing identities or traditions. Rather, it is achieved when every community cherishes its own heritage while embracing fellow Jews with respect, dignity, and genuine love. That was the Rebbe’s message then, and it continues to inspire us today.
